Having just played through the original Dungeon Keeper, I don't really find this installment as impressive. Overall the game attempts to add a storyline by having the player collect Portal Stones in each level, although, aside from the intro showcasing a wizard scattering these, there is no mention what they are for, or why they are important. Because of this the game fails to deliver one of the major selling-points of the original: world domination. Rather than conquer lands it is a mad scramble to collect Portal Stones for some unknown purpose. On the subject of comparing to the original, the gameplay is sluggish. Minions getting stunned when dropped; walking slowly from one place to another; or stopping completely because the Hand of Evil (the cursor) is hovering over them, slows the gameplay considerably. Being forced to watch cinematics every now and then also slows down the gameplay. Surprisingly, the game looks, in my eyes, less aesthetically pleasing than the original. Gone are the 2D sprite-based graphics with nicely rounded edges, in favor of clunky, sharp-edged 3D graphics. The game is from a time when true 3D graphics was relatively new, which does excuse the rudimentary graphics somewhat. Graphics and overall pace aside, the most annoying aspect is the lack of a feature to by which to pick up either the highest or lowest level creature **** type. This feature was present in the original, and was of great help when wanting to split creatures between various tasks. The Hand of Evil also no longer displays the level of each creature held. Two features that are sorely missed. On the other hand, it is now possible to pick up even more creature. The game does, however, introduce a few improved and welcome features. Most noticeable change is the addition of a numerical indicator of how many creatures each room can accommodate. The separation of constructed / researched items from the workers / researches in each room is also a welcome change. No longer does an item count towards the limit, thus ensuring a stable workforce. Spells now use mana instead of gold, which is a nice and welcome change. In the original, when gold was limited, it was always a struggle to balance spending gold on spells during combat with training creatures and expanding the dungeon. A welcome change indeed. Rooms no longer have to be researched, but are rather awarded or unlocked on a level-by-level basis, which is also a welcome change, which speeds the gameplay up somewhat. Spells are, much like the rooms, no longer necessary to research once they have been researched once. They can, however, be upgraded, which is a nice feature, but not a strict requirement. --- Ratings --- Overall: 6.5 Graphics: 7 Gameplay: 6 Sound: 9 Innovation: 4* *: Although there are some nice additions to the interface, the game is continuation of series, with a predecessor, which leaves a lot to be desired in regards to the overall pace,and accessibility.
